Out of all the fights Ezra had been in, this had to be the most challenging one. Few Gunners had ever encountered a Behemoth, and even fewer could boast of slaying one. The abomination would have continued slaughtering every person it could find on the highway and eventually reached the gates of Aranor if it hadn’t been stopped. Ezra had not only slain the Behemoth, but done so just in time to save Tanya. And what sweetened this deal was the added reward of unlocking a Gunner’s most useful skill: Bulletproof Armor. But before checking his skills and items, Ezra decided to help the girl he had just saved. He walked up to Tanya while she was still shivering on the ground and offered his hand. Judging by her fine silk gown and delicate features, Ezra realized that she belonged to one of the noble families. But he still had no idea that this was the Count’s daughter he had just saved. “Come on. It’s over now. The Behemoth’s dead,” Ezra said, offering his hand to Tanya. The knight ly
A veil of ashen clouds had darkened the skies over Aranor and its adjoining areas, shading the midday sun and drenching the land in an unnatural darkness. Ezra looked up; expecting it to rain, but what fell from the dimly lit sky was a tarry black liquid. “What on earth is this?” he questioned, staring at the black droplets as they dripped from his open palm. “Ishani is crying. She knows her children are in grave peril,” the priestess proclaimed in a prophetic voice, her eyes staring blankly at the gathering clouds. “We must reach her shrine as soon as possible!” Aurelia picked Tanya up on her stallion and instructed the mercenaries to gather the supplies scattered on the road. “I am sorry we did not bring a carriage, my Lady. I actually had no idea you were going to be here,” Aurelia apologized as she turned her horse around and prepared to ride back to town. Ezra was about to climb onto the last horse when he spotted Gunther’s double-barreled rifle lying at the side of the r
Sister Nymeria accompanied Tanya to Ishani’s shrine, but Count Gressil was requested to stay back as they did not feel it was a good idea to allow non-believers in the Goddess’ presence.Even Aurelia was told to wait outside in the general prayer hall, and the only ones permitted to enter the inner sanctum were Sister Nymeria and Tanya. Inside the inner sanctum, the High Priest had his head bowed over the altar, and Ramel was nowhere to be found. “Father Varya, are you alright?” the priestess asked, touching him lightly on his shoulder. “What ails you?”The High Priest turned around with a jerk, his lifeless gray eyes staring into hers. “Sister…Nymeria. Welcome to the abode of our Goddess. You have traveled quite far. I hope this is your final destination.”Sister Nymeria stepped back, as a sense of uneasiness washed over her body. “You do not seem alright, Father. Where are the other priests?”“I instructed them to go to the neighboring villages and distribute alms to the poor. The
As the sun set upon the western horizon, casting its dying rays on Ishani’s shrine, Tanya opened her eyes in Sister Nymeria’s lap.“The Goddess is in pain. She has seen terrible things,” she spoke in a feeble voice. Her magic power had been drained by the ritual and she felt exhausted.Sister Nymeria slowly helped her to a bowl of cold water from the fountain of Erelor. She drank it in little fervent sips, and it gradually restored her strength.“You have strained yourself beyond your limits, my Lady. The Goddess spoke through you, but it took a great toll on your delicate body. You need to rest,” Sister Nymeria expressed her concern in a motherly voice, gently helping Tanya sit up straight.“How can I rest now that I know our people are in danger?” Tanya asked. “The dead will walk upon these blessed lands unless we find a way to stop Zepheroth’s chosen.”Despite Sister Nymeria’s several entreaties to rest a while, Tanya decided to meet with the four families first and disclose all th
The festivities continued outside while the nobles from the four great families returned to their lodgings to rest for a while and change into traditional attire for the midnight celebrations.As soon as they returned home, Aurelia went up to Ramel’s room to check on his health. She knocked thrice and was about turn the knob when one of the maids opened the door, allowing her to step inside.Ramel was lying on his bed with nothing but a loose silk robe on his bare body. He was sweating profusely and an old man was applying a yellow herbal paste to his chest and frequently wiping Ramel’s forehead with a moist towel soaked in the icy cold water from the fountain of Erelor.“What happened at the shrine? Did you see any—”Aurelia stopped midway as the old man turned around and looked at her. It was none other than Arch Maester Zang Wu Ling.“What on earth are you doing here? Who called you?” Aurelia asked, fixing her questioning gaze upon his face.Zang Wu turned away while mumbling, “I a
Jasenki did not return to his lodgings but went straight to the merchant’s guild to meet with Yarpin Dale and request him to procure enchanted bullets and firearms from his secret supplies and contacts.Meanwhile, Lord Sebastian decided to spend the night beside his ailing elder son.This left Ezra and Aurelia alone to discuss the upcoming hunt and make the necessary arrangements for tomorrow.Aurelia was firmly against Ezra’s idea of fighting the griffin alone. And if it were in her hand, she would have never allowed him to embark on such a perilous quest. But, Ezra had already raised the stakes to challenge Jasenki and there was no way for him to back out of this mess.“I don’t know what you were thinking, brother, but hunting a griffin all alone is a terrible idea. Most E-level Gunners would crap their pants just at the sight of that thing,” Aurelia began in an anxious tone, but it quickly changed to inquisitive. “I still can’t believe you killed a Behemoth. Maybe I am worrying too
At half past two, Ezra fell asleep. But instead of being able to relax, his mind receded into a dark abyss. He found himself going back over a hundred years in the past.Ezra’s face grimaced in pain as he started shaking on his bed. He tried to get up but felt as if someone was holding him down. Despite his best efforts he could neither scream nor open his eyes.In his vision, Ezra was teleported two hundred years ago. It was 1450, and the place in front of his eyes was the great plain of Zaraya. Ezra found himself standing on top of a plateau and watching a bloody battle unfold between the humans and the elves. King Rudeus Gerlaine’s infantry forces were getting slaughtered by the elven archers.The armored swordsmen were dying like flies as the ranged elven formations standing on the other side of the battlefield were raining volley after volley of fire arrows upon them.Realizing that his infantry was no match for the elves, King Rudeus finally decided to send out his heavy cavalr
Ezra woke up covered in sweat, but his right hand had stopped aching now. Even though he heard the trumpet signaling the start of the hunt, he did not get out of bed. He was still thinking about the dream he had just seen and wondered if it was really just a dream or had something more to it.Holding up his right hand, Ezra addressed Marlin. “I had a dream last night. You were in it and there was a great battle going on between the elves and humans.”Hearing that, Marlin’s cursed eye reappeared followed by his mouth. “That was not just a dream, my Lord. It was a glimpse of my past life. King Rudeus Gerlaine was able to defeat the elves after a long and bloody battle, and it was all thanks to my inventions. I was his best Gunsmith.”“I saw those Gunners unleashing lightning strikes and meteorites upon the battlefield. And I am pretty sure not even the most elite Archmage can rival their power. Those enchanted bullets completely turned the tides of the battle,” Ezra said.Marlin smiled